


“friends”

by anorangecarrot



Series: where i dump all my haikyuu fic ideas [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bullying, Character Study, Gen, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Friendship, Yamaguchi Tadashi Needs a Hug, and repetition and parallels, his bullies can go fuck off, i'm abusing line breaks, someone pls hug yams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:01:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28359753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anorangecarrot/pseuds/anorangecarrot
Summary: Yamaguchi Tadashi makes a friend. (And he likes it.)
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: where i dump all my haikyuu fic ideas [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2076894
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	“friends”

Yamaguchi Tadashi had never known what it meant to be “friends”.

  
  


For as long as he’d been made fun of for his scrawny figure, he’d known the term to be an unpleasant label; calling someone a “friend” had been the blinding red flag for a miserable school life. To toss it into the field once or twice had been to set the crumbly, stony grounds. To weave it into the webs of your relationship had been to stab the pole’s end into the soil.

  
  


He’d spent endless hours observing the classroom’s occupants’ behaviour. A forced smile. A forced laugh. Glaring eyes and hesitant advances. The word “friend” had always reached his ears. Although he’d never experienced the phenomenon firsthand, he, too, wanted someone to call - and to call him - “friend”. But Yamaguchi knew better than to enter the enemy’s territory empty-handed.

  
  


Mustering up all the courage he had in that little body of his, he’d approached a smaller group known for its “kindhearted members”. He summoned every bit of knowledge he had on the topic of “kindness” and making “friends” - thanks to the books he’d raided from the school’s book corner when no one was looking. They looked up at him, gazes dripping with expectancy and a hint of thinly veiled disgust.

  
  


He’d tried. He really had tried his best.

  
  


Days later, he’d gained a group of faces he had a relationship with. They threw him smug smiles, scornful looks, petty insults and school bags. They shoved him down the daunting stairs, their wrinkled, untouched homework, and meticulously fabricated lies.

  
  


It’s alright, he’d told himself. It had been the most interactions he’d had with the strangers at school. Yamaguchi enjoyed the company. Not as close as “friends”, but close enough to say each others’ names.

  
  


Time flew quickly, yet it was a broken record on repeat. He’d begun questioning what he’d done wrong. Maybe he’d made the wrong decision... It had been months of darkness until he met a certain kid from Class 3. Well, to be precise, the blond happened to stumble upon Yamaguchi and Co. during their daily “park time”.

  
  


Park time was fun. (Having “friends” was fun.)

  
  


Park time hurt. (Having “friends” hurt.)

  
  


“Lame.”

  
  


Hope blossomed.

  
  


(Who was that?

  
  


He probably called me “lame” too...

  
  


He’s so cool!)

  
  


I want to be that person’s friend, Yamaguchi gushed.

  
  


After discreetly following his saviour around for a day or two, he’d learnt of a name. Tsukishima... Hotaru? Kei? The blond’s first name had multiple readings, and Yamaguchi had heard both “Hotaru” and “Kei” get thrown around. Normally, he’d simply listen in on the people around them and calculate the possibilities from there. But this time, he’d ask the blond himself.

  
  


Why?

  
  


A spark to the relationship.

  
  


Besides, he wanted to thank Tsukishima for what happened at the park. He owed the other a lot.

  
  


Yamaguchi perked up.

  
  


He’d heard of this; favours deserved presents, is what he’d heard and observed from those around him. They did you a favour? Oh, you’ve got to buy them some snacks! Make sure to buy their favourite!

  
  


He fiddled with the few coins he’d received as allowance. He had absolutely no problem with spending it on Tsukishima - it wasn’t like he had anything he wanted, or anyone else to buy something for. What... did Tsukishima like?

  
  


He’d noticed that Tsukishima owned a plethora of dinosaur-themed items. From funky stegosaurus pencils to cartoony brachiosaurus water bottles - the blond had it all. But Yamaguchi knew he couldn’t offer much, and Tsukishima had more than enough dinosaurs. His gift would be tossed to the side; why would Tsukishima need such a pathetic little thing if he already had so many of them?

  
  


Although Tsukishima never brought or ate snacks at school, he’d seen a tiny slice of strawberry shortcake next to his bento too often to be a coincidence. He concluded that Tsukishima liked strawberries and dinosaurs.

  
  


Yamaguchi silently slid back into his classroom.

  
  


Maybe he could buy Tsukishima a box of strawberries. He glanced down at the coins piled up on his palm. He didn’t have enough money for that. The amount he held came nowhere close to the standard price of strawberries.

  
  


Okay, perhaps buying a gift had been too ambitious of him. 

  
  


“Tsukishima, Aki from your volleyball thing told me to give you this.”

  
  


Yamaguchi watched the exchange with wide eyes.

  
  


“Aki?” the blond eyed the other, “are you her neighbour or something?”

  
  


“Yes... here-” a spherical bag was shoved into Tsukishima’s face, “it’s probably a volleyball, from the looks of it.”

  
  


“Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed.”

  
  


And Tsukishima sat alone, expression detached - like always.

  
  


But Yamaguchi had seen it. He’d seen the way the blond’s eyes lit up at the sight of the bagged volleyball. He’d seen the passion burning in Tsukishima’s eyes.

  
  


Oh. Tsukishima liked volleyball

  
  


Yamaguchi had watched a few volleyball matches on TV. It looked fun. You play volleyball with friends - is what he’d gathered from hours of research. Yamaguchi could try out volleyball. If he played a match with Tsukishima, they’d be friends.

  
  


It sounded like an excellent plan.

  
  


When school ended, Yamaguchi ran to the bookstore - both as exercise and to avoid his “friends”. He spent his allowance on a book.

  
  


_Everything You Need To Know About Volleyball._

  
  


Yamaguchi didn’t get any shut-eye that night.

  
  


The following day, he paid a visit to the city’s indoor gymnasium. He’d heard about volleyball practices and matches held at the venue. The nice ladies next door had said something about a volleyball programme for kids. He decided that this particular indoor gymnasium would be the first place he’d search for Tsukishima’s “volleyball thing”.

  
  


“Good afternoon.”

  
  


Yamaguchi jumped. Someone had caught him peeking into the gym where the kids’ volleyball programme was held.

  
  


A blond of tall stature breezed past him, looking very, very similar to-

  
  


“Ah! Uh, thank you for the other day.”

  
  


The blond turned around. “Have we met?”

  
  


Oh...

  
  


“The- The other day at the- at the park, you-”

  
  


“Oh. So what’re you doing here?”

  
  


Tsukishima didn’t forget about him. Someone other than his “friends” remembered him! And Tsukishima was surprisingly nice; it wasn’t what Yamaguchi had been expecting.

  
  


“Um...”

  
  


He came up with an excuse on the spot - something he’d never been able to do. The excuse was some bullshit about other sports being filled with scary people.

  
  


“- but this seemed safe.”

  
  


(You’ll save me from my “friends” again, right?

  
  


You’ll protect me.

  
  


You’ll keep me safe.)

  
  


Their relationship blossomed from there.

  
  


Yamaguchi joined the programme, but he wasn’t able to play in games right away, of course. While he practised receiving with the wall, Tsukishima towered over the net and blocked his foe. Each session, they exchanged brief greetings and small smiles. And as time went on, their interactions only increased.

  
  


Yamaguchi liked it.

  
  


What were the requirements for one to be a friend? Did both him and Tsukishima fit them? Could they consider each other as friends? Could he call Tsukishima a friend?

  
  


He dusted off the volleyball guide book. Maybe he should’ve bought a guide to friendship instead.

  
  


“Hey, would you like to practice receives with me? My usual partner’s sick and everyone else is already paired up.”

  
  


He looked down at the volleyball in his grip. “Eh-? But I’m... I’m not technically on the team; my technique isn’t good enough-”

  
  


“Practice makes perfect,” said the blond, golden-brown eyes following Yamaguchi’s hands as the shorter traced his volleyball’s lines, “that’s what the previous coach used to say.”

  
  


(It wouldn’t hurt to try, right?)

  
  


“... please take care of me!” he exclaimed, bowing.

  
  


He had fun. Volleyball was fun, but only if it was with Tsukishima. Like other sports, volleyball was “filled with scary people”, yet he’d felt safest wherever Tsukki was.

  
  


Although Yamaguchi Tadashi had never known what it meant to be “friends”, he’d known what it meant to be friends.

  
  


Safe, happy. Fun, warm.

  
  


To him, it didn’t matter if there were white lies. (Though Tsukki had always been rather straightforward.)

  
  


Bubbly laughter, aching cheeks from smiling and chuckling too much. (Though Tsukki had always been rather reserved.)

  
  


Neither were privy to each other’s innermost thoughts and feelings, though.

  
  


“I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while... do you mind me calling you ‘Tsukki’?”

  
  


“Knock yourself out.”

  
  


But, deep down, he knew that Tsukki liked the nickname.

  
  


“Tsukki, are you free after school? I want to introduce my best friend to my parents!”

  
  


Under his breath, he mumbled, “there’s a dinosaur documentary-” Then, out loud, “I guess.”

  
  


Yamaguchi grinned from ear to ear.

  
  


Tsukki felt that they were best friends. He liked Tsukki. Tsukki liked him.

  
  


Volleyball with Tsukki was fun. (Having friends was fun.)

  
  


His memories were being replaced by positive, shining ones with Tsukki. (Having friends healed him.)

  
  


“Lame.”

  
  


“Hmph. I can’t help it.”

  
  


“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

  
  


A bout of laughter escaped his lips.

  
  


“Sorry, Tsukki.”

**Author's Note:**

> edit (8/1/21): i made a [carrd](https://anorangecarrot.carrd.co/#) so you can learn more about me & find me on other platforms :>


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